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The Power of Proximity The Power of Proximity
Off the beaten path.

When you hear the sermon on Sunday do you ever wonder how you can draw some of its ideas or challenges into your day-to-day life? Come and explore the spiritual exercises presented here to reflect on how you can physically walk the sermon out this week.  Read through the suggestions and try one or more. Or, better yet, let them inspire you to create something even more in tune with how you personally meet God. Either way, use this space to become more deeply engaged with Christ, as you open up to the love of God, and listen to the guiding voice of the Holy Spirit. May you enjoy the presence of God as you... Reflect.

Defining "Evangelism...
For those who have grown up in and around the church, or have had exposure to "evangelism" in some form, it is probably not a neutral word. It is the kind of word that has the power to conjure up emotional associations that shape how we experience that aspect of faith.

1. Unpacking "evangelism":

  • What does "evangelism" mean to you? What associations does it carry for you? Why? What does "salvation" mean to you? In your experience, what has the Church invited people to believe in its "evangelism"?
  • Take a blank piece of paper and draw a line down the centre. On the left side, write a list of words that describe your past experiences with "evangelism".

2. Reimagining "evangelism":

  • Read Matthew 28:18-20. Write a definition of "evangelism" that best describes your understanding of what it means to "make disciples of all nations". Contrast this with your experience of evangelism.
  • On the right side of your page, write a list of words that describe your understanding of "evangelism".
  • Meditate on the list of words on the right side of the page, praying through them to ask God to empower you to live that kind of evangelism in your sphere of influence.

 

Partnering with God...

Perhaps you find you rarely, if ever, have opportunities to evangelize or share your faith.  In his book Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby asserts that “God is always at work around us,” and “He invites us to join Him in His work.” It is possible, therefore, that we may not actually have a lack of opportunity to share in the lives of others, rather, we may not be “seeing” our encounters and interactions with others as the opportunity to share our faith that they are.   Blackaby encourages people to engage in “a daily routine of focusing the mind on the divine presence in each life.”

1. Recognizing God at work:

  • Reflect on the past few days or weeks. Have you had any “chance” encounters with someone at the grocery store, a neighbor on the sidewalk, walking your dog, at school, riding transit, …, where someone has shared details of their life with you?
  • Do you regularly recognize those moments as "God's work around you", ascribe them to mere chance or not even notice when it happens? Why?

2. Learning to join him:

  • What was God asking you to do to "join him in his work" (i.e. make time to talk, let them know you are praying for them, fail to ignore or rush away, ask questions)?
  • Were able to share something of your faith in that situation? Why or why not?
  • As you go about your life this week, ask God to help you see His activity around you and open yourself up to joining Him in His work.

 

Creating Openness...
There are a couple of ways that we can create openness, we can open up our schedule, and we can open up ourselves.  God can then choose to move someone into these open spaces that we have created.

1. Opening our schedule:

  • When you look at last week, how much space was there in the schedule and how much was filled with activities?
  • Consider creating more space in your schedule next week, and watch to see who God may choose to bring into that space.

2. Opening ourselves:

  • Consider those activities in your week that you love, like a sport, a hobby, a craft, a reading or parenting group. Now visualize yourself when you are engaged in an activity that you are passionate about.  Pay attention to what happens to you physically, and emotionally.
  • How do you relate to the people around you? Does engaging in an activity you love help you to become more open to the people around you?
  • The next time you are engaged in this activity, watch for opportunities to bless someone else that God may bring your way. 

 

For this week's daily readings and follow up resources, check out READ.
For this week's conversations starters, check out TALK.